


Softlocked

by LunarLilac



Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Earthbending & Earthbenders, Gen, Henry Stickmin Series: Fleeing the Complex, How Do I Tag, International Rescue Operative Ending | IRO (Henry Stickmin), The Betrayed Ending | TB (Henry Stickmin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28004043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunarLilac/pseuds/LunarLilac
Summary: It's a softlock of sorts - Henry can't flee the complex because he waited for a transfer to his new cell and stole the ruby in the airship, thus sealing off both the rescue from the government and the one from the Toppats. And he can't go back to the holding cell either. There's no way out, now.Or is there?
Comments: 11
Kudos: 55





	Softlocked

**Author's Note:**

> Haven't seen anyone play around with this idea yet - without the ability to reset to his last choice, Henry is technically stuck if he chooses to wait for a transfer after being a pure-blooded thief back in ItA. In the game world, at least - I doubt he'd give up so easily if he had a choice. So, here's my take on that idea - enjoy!

Luck had never been on his side.

Well, maybe that was taking it a bit far. Henry had successfully escaped a prison, stolen the Tunisian diamond and taken the Romanian ruby with only minor cuts and scrapes to show for it. He knows, on some level, that he’s lucky to be alive.

Still, lucky people don’t usually wake up to a prison warden spitting in their face as he gloats about their capture. Something, something, the infamous Henry Stickmin’s going to be there for a long time, etcetera. Yeah, no - he doesn’t think so. 

God, what even happened? He moved around a lot after the impromptu heist on the airship - it’d be stupid not to, especially after ticking off both the government and the Toppats - Chicago, Seattle, St. Louis. He crossed the border a month ago. Wasn’t he last in Vancouver? How’d he end up in Russia?

He supposed it didn’t matter - he could figure it out later. 

The guard dragged him to a holding cell and told him to wait until they could find a cell for him. Fine, he could use the rest anyways. He was still a bit dazed from whatever they used to drug him, and rushing out all gung-ho with his hands so restricted didn’t seem like the best idea. He could figure out an escape plan later, after his head stopped pounding so much.

Looking around the cell, there isn’t a whole lot to work with, anyways. There is a hatch in the ceiling - too high up for him to reach. Maybe he could earthbend a set of stairs up to it? You know, if they hadn’t locked his hands together. And if the guard was completely deaf. Yeah, that’s a no-go.

Well, he could always play dead. What’s the worst that could happen?

...He didn’t want to know the answer to that question.

Waiting for a transfer it is.

The guard eventually came back for him. About time - they’d taken the other prisoner hours ago and closed the door to the holding cell, leaving him with nothing to do but wait by himself. He’d been starting to worry that it was the wrong decision.

The guard could have been a bit gentler about it, but he wasn’t seriously hurt during the transfer, at least. And, well, now his hands were free, which meant he could access his hammerspace more easily. If he really needed it. And it felt like cooperating.

Okay, enough pessimism - it had to work this time, right? He reached in and - yes! There we go - a few different items to choose from. Some kind of sonic device - his ears hurt just looking at it. A cookie - well, he was hungry, but he didn’t see how it could help him escape. The telepor - no, nope, definitely not that one, no thank you, why did he even carry that thing around anymore? And a laser-firing device. Well, maybe that would do it - carve a hole in the wall and let him escape down the hall. Something like that. He turned it on and watched the device quickly cut a rectangle around him, leaving him with barely enough time to brace himself for the fall. 

Okay then - going through the floor could work, too. At least it wasn’t a very long drop this time.

He landed in a tiny office of some kind. Looks like only one guard was stationed here, but he wouldn’t be causing Henry any issues now. He searched the rubble for anything that could come in handy - a weapon, a guard uniform, anything - but all he could salvage was a smartphone, a bunch of random files and the crushed guard's shoes. Great - real useful. Maybe he could tie the laces together and improvise a pair of nunchucks?

Recalling his luck with most conventional weapons and aiming, he opts not to go this route.

Actually, the cell phone could be helpful. He feels drawn to it, anyways. He picks it up with his right hand and holds his left hand over it, poised and ready to start typing.

He stands like that for two minutes, brow furrowing in frustration.

It strikes him, suddenly.

He doesn't have anyone to call.

He frowns and pockets the cell phone then tries reaching into his hammerspace once again. Nothing this time. Fantastic, now it won’t cooperate. 

Well, he’s not just going to wait around here with a corpse.

He walks out the door into a wide open room with a bunch of tables and chairs. Probably a cafeteria for the employees. Thank everything that nobody’s around - must not be dinnertime yet. Henry walks over to the plate glass windows and takes a good look. He’s pretty high up right now - eight or nine stories, give or take. A fall from this height would definitely be fatal, even over the water.

He feels a chill run down his spine and backs away from the window. Okay, but the water could be important, right? Maybe there’s a dock with a ship or something. He can work with that - he just needs to get down there.

There’s a metal door that looks like it’d lead outside. Some kind of fire escape, probably? That could work.

He makes his way over to the door and slowly pushes it open, trying to be as quiet as possible, and steps out onto a metal stairwell. The stairs only go upwards. Wonderful - he’s trying to go *down.* 

Besides, he can’t go up. There’s a guard in the way. And even if he could get up to the roof, what good would that do? It’s not like he has any friends with a helicopter. 

One downside of going it alone.

His hammerspace still isn’t cooperating. Usually that means he needs to use his environment to his advantage instead, but he isn’t sure that that’s the solution here either. Something feels...off about all this. But, well, that’s never stopped him before, has it?

He puts a hand on the wall of the complex. Feels like some kind of concrete - could he earthbend it? His hands are free now, so maybe…

He spreads his legs apart and roots himself in a firm, unmovable stance before moving his arms outwards in swift, sure strikes, bending a set of stairs out of the wall of the complex. There, now he has a way down.

Henry hears a shout from behind him.

Right, the guard probably heard that. He whips around to the stunned guard and bends one last chunk of concrete at him, knocking him right off the stairwell. That’s one problem taken care of. 

He has to get moving, now, though. It’s only a matter of time before someone comes around to replace the guard or notices the earthbent wall, and Henry’s not waiting for that to happen. He books it down the concrete stairs and edges his way around the complex. Come on, come on - there has to be -

There! A wooden dock, yes! His ticket to freedom. All he had to do was make it past a couple guards and choose a method of escape, now. But how could he do that? 

He bites his lip and reaches into his hammerspace again. Surprisingly, this time he grabs something - a few things, actually. He breathes a sigh of relief and takes a look at his bounty. A shadozer, complete with a card from Gadget Gabe - yikes, uh, not unless he’s out of options, thanks. A box - maybe he could use it to sneak by the guards? Something about the idea of crawling on an ice-cold dock on his hands and knees for twenty minutes doesn’t really appeal to him, though. The last item is a leaf, but not like any leaf Henry’s seen before. It feels almost...powerful, somehow. Well, what does he have to lose?

Henry grabs the leaf and instantly transforms, gaining a bushy tail and ears and a distinct floaty sensation. This is crazy, but what if…

He takes a running start towards the dock and takes off, flying over the heads of the guards and landing not-so-gracefully near the end of the dock just as the power-up wears off. He takes a look behind him - good, no one’s looking towards him. Now he just needs to actually escape. 

Looking around, there’s a few options - a giant ship, a rocket and a dinghy. Well, the choice is pretty obvious here - Henry jumps into the dinghy and tugs on the pull cord a couple times to start the motor. Once it starts, he’s home free, zipping across the water away from that cardboard prison. Ha - no one can hold the “infamous” Henry Stickmin for long. No one.

He reaches one hand into his pocket and takes out the cell phone from before, frowning at it. Weird how he was so sure he’d need this - even now it’s giving him a strange feeling, like it’s important somehow. But...since when has he ever relied on anyone else for help? He shrugs and tosses the useless thing overboard, trying to tamp down the anxiety and just enjoy his victory.

Besides, he made it out alive. Maybe he *is* a little lucky, after all.

RANK: Inter- The Be- Gho- ???

***************

“Corporal Bill Bullet, this is CCC liason Kyle Baxter, reporting in.”

“Baxter, good. I’m sure you’re aware that the chaos readings spiked at the Wall yesterday evening, reaching as high as 25.4 on our monitors here. Do you have any leads on the cause yet, soldier?”

“Well, sir, it appears that one of the prisoners escaped sometime yesterday evening. One, uh, Henry Stickmin?”

“I already know about Stickmin, Baxter. He’s caused quite a few chaos spikes before, significant ones in those diamond and ruby heists, even. The monitors already projected his breakout attempt one month ago and adjusted in preparation for those chaos readings, so the breakout alone can’t be it. Do you have information on how he did it?”

“Well, the warden wasn’t happy to let me in, but I was able to investigate his cell and chart his most likely escape route from there, corporal, sir.”

“Wait, did you say his cell? As in his prison cell? Not the holding cell?”

“Yes, sir. He waited for a transfer before attempting to break out of his prison cell with a - ”

“ - with a laser plane, correct? He would have fallen through the floor and tried to call one of his friends in the government or the Toppat Clan, yes?”

“Uh, no, sir. He appears to have escaped by dinghy at the docks. Security footage shows him earthbending a wall to make a flight of stairs down from the cafeteria. It doesn’t seem like he contacted anyone, corporal.”

“...Thank you, Baxter. That’s all I needed to know.” He hangs up the phone and squeezes the bridge of his nose. This was bad. “Jenkins, get me in contact with Ellias Bahtchin and Wilson Stone.”

“Right away, sir. This about those chaos readings from yesterday?”

Bill nods his head. “Seems Stickmin’s gone off-script.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact: In the original version of Fleeing the Complex (which you can still play for free on websites like Newgrounds), there is no time skip between the initial phone call to Charles and him showing up at the Wall - implying that he must have been really, REALLY close to the prison already. Strangely, though, there still is a time skip between the initial call to the Toppats and them showing up to, ahem, “rescue” you, but in the original game it is 2 hours, whereas in the remastered version it is only 1 hour. Making it so that there is a time skip after *both* of the initial phone calls in the remastered version (which is 1 hour for each one) fixes the slight time discrepancy of when everyone in the cafeteria has their meal (it is the same group of people for both paths, and I doubt that they all hung out there for two hours doing basically nothing), and the bigger coincidence that Charles just happened to be so incredibly close in the first place. Not that many people likely noticed or cared - but it’s interesting that they bothered to fix such a small thing. 
> 
> Why did I bother to research this? Well, I wanted to see if Henry’s method of escape here would work in both versions of Fleeing the Complex - apparently not, since the cafeteria is canonically crowded with guards from the moment Henry lands in the office and crushes the guard in the original version. Here, I assume that it would be empty until dinnertime - which I’d say takes place roughly 45 minutes after Henry lands in the office - which is at least still plausible in the remastered version. Thus, when Henry leaves the office much earlier than expected, he encounters no guards in the cafeteria. At the very least, the original game’s timeline doesn’t work with this fanfic. So, for simplicity, this fanfic takes place in the remastered version. 
> 
> Also, the guard has a smartphone (albeit a basic looking one) in both versions - me trying to remember if it was a flip phone in the original game really got me to research both of these paths (IRO and TB) in the first place. Guess I was thinking of the flip phone from Escaping the Prison instead.
> 
> Henry has a ridiculous number of superpowers that he breaks out once or twice and just never uses again - earthbending is just one of them (just look up the wiki for a full list - Henry’s really holding back on us most of the time). He could very easily escape/overcome several problems if he just used what he already knows to his advantage - but that’d probably be a lot less interesting to watch. 
> 
> The floor plan for the Wall is really weird. You can take a good look at the staircase Henry is on in the IRO route right after choosing Flash and again after choosing Mini Helicopter, both times while Charles is talking. The stairs don’t go down any further than the cafeteria entrance (so not a fire escape - no OSHA compliance here, guys), just up a few more flights before reaching a ladder that goes through a hole in the ground that holds the main yard (seen mainly in the CA route) and then even *more* stairs that finally get you up to the helipad you use to escape in the IRO route (if you want a little laugh, watch Henry’s face just after he gets to the helipad and before the last choice of the route pops up - he’s out of breath from booking it up all those stairs). The cafeteria is said to be on the eighth floor (according to that one guard in CA), and it’s still in what could be called a basement given the building’s layout (and position on a cliff)!
> 
> Anyways, enough of me trying to make sense of this silly video game. Hope you enjoyed the story - and please let me know what you think down in the comments. Have a good day, everyone :)


End file.
